drive up aspiration and achievement right across the education system. >> a moment ago -- given the church of england is the established church would he consider what parliament can do to insure the overwhelming wealth of members of the church of england as of this country is respected? >> i will look carefully at what the right hon. gentleman says. i would say the church has its own processes, it don't elections, hard for some to understand and we have to respect individual institutions and the decision they make but it doesn't mean we should hold back and say what we think. i think it is clear inhe time is right for women bishops. they need to get on with it and ge with the program but you do have to respect the individual institutions when they're getting a shark fraud.

>> the big country, e.u. agreed to by the last labor government, time for it costing taxpayers two billion pounds every single year. will the prime minister please confirm the forthcoming budget negotiations, he will not agree to any further reduction in this debate? >> i certainly give my hon. friend that assurance. the rebate negotiated by margaret thatcher is an incredibly important part of britain's position of making sure we ge a fair deal. ..

>> can i congratulate the prime minister on his wise decision? can i confirm the enthusiasm of which it was received? can i ask him if he believes it will be possible to bring further prestigious events to northern ireland in the future? the right decision, for the g8 to be based in ireland on the 17th and 18th of june, and what i thought was interesting yesterday standing there talking about the situation, something that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago, to have that sort of event with so many world leaders coming to northern ireland, that i think it would be a great advertisement for everything that people in nohern ireland n achieve and, i hope, the harbger of events to come. >> does the prime minister agree that the united states loss of its aaa rating shows that the

u.k. retains the confidence of the market because of the difficult but necessary decision that is we are take -- decisions that we are taking? >> because we've set out a clear plan, we're able to have low interest rates, we're able to have international confidence >> you have been watching prime minister's questions from the british house of commons. question time airs every wednesday when the house of commons is in session and on sunday nights on c-span. watch any time on c-span.org, were you can find videos of other programs. next, leon panetta on the fight against out high debt and the impact of sequestration. at 11:00 p.m., q&a on the white

house recordings of president john f. kennedy. after that, another chance to see british prime minister david cameron take questions from the house of commons. >> if you listen to mayor bloomberg, who said the damage is unprecedented, gov. christie said the damage was unthinkable. we have fires. now we have hurricane force winds. we had snow. if you look at the shutdown of the stock exchange, you try to get a sense of the massive scale of this storm. i have read dozens of stories over the last couple weeks were many consumers are linked to any information was through their

smartphone, so while there was obviously an impact, i think the networks performed really well. >> some networks did well. some networks did less well, but we do not have solid information about this. there are no standards by which we measure their performance, and it is voluntary whether they want to talk to the fcc or not or whether they want to talk to their state or local governments or not. they responded well. the first thing would be to find out how they did well.

>> defense secretary leon panetta says america's fight against hawkeye is moving beyond clear combat zones, requiring -- against al qaeda is moving beyond clear combat zone. he also discusses the impact of the so-called fiscal cliff, also budget cuts to the defense department. this is an hour and 15 minutes. [applause] >> thank you for coming. it is an honor to be back and an honor to be introducing my old boss. as you know, secretary of the net debt is one of the most respected and experienced hands in washington. his resume is legendary. chairman of the budget committee

back in the day when they actually passed a budget, director of the office of management and budget, and chief of staff to president clinton when the white house, director of the central intelligence agency, and now secretary of defense, so the question is what in the world are you going to do next. this extraordinary resume does not do justice to the man. leon panetta is a wonderful human being and in some ways a man of contrasts. i am going to give you examples. he is known among his counterparts around the world for his warm italian bear hugs. he is also known for the laser light focus he displayed on hunting down osama bin laden. he often holds meetings in his pentagon office with his dog curled up around his feet as he is pressing a commander on how a war plan is going to advance or how they are going to make more

progress. when traveling, who he is known to hang out in the back of the plan with staff and journalists and waxing eloquent about what it is like growing up as an italian american first generation american on a walnut farm outside monterey. hours earlier he had been to all businesses delivering tough talking points on behalf of the president. he is known for his colorful language when talking and often for getting the press corps hangs on every four-letter word. he is also known for the passion with which he pursues the stewardship of his job, whether it is seeking to end sexual assault in the military or ensuring our officers are trained to hold the highest standards. he cares deeply and genuinely about men and women in uniform,

and their families, their sacrifice, about wounded war years, our veterans. he has an easy laugh, but as he would say, he is serious as shit about protecting the united states of america. he is a true patriot. it is my honor present to you leon panetta. >> thank you for that kind introduction. i am always reminded of my father, who was an immigrant

from italy with my mother, and my earliest recollections were washing in the back of the restaurant. then he bought a farm in carmel valley after the war. my father would go around -- when the trees got older we would go around and shake the branches, and my brother and i would be collecting walnuts.

when i got elected to congress, my father said, you have been well trained to go to washington, because you have been dodging nuts your whole life, and i have been successfully dodging them my whole life. i listen to the positions, and i will tell you a story. when events occurred at the cia last week, my wife immediately gave me a call. [laughter] she said, i hope there is no way the president is going to ask

you to take that job again. i said no, he's been there, done that. it is an honor to have the chance to share some thoughts with you on so many issues we confront at the defense department, and if i might take this opportunity, since we are close to thanksgiving to wish you and your families and have the thanksgiving. -- a happy thanksgiving. michelle is a great friend, and i am sorry to see her leave the department of defense, but having been in those kinds of jobs most of my life, i anderson the reason she felt she really wanted to spend some time -- i understand the reason she felt she really wanted to spend time with her family. i should tell you i continue to feel her positive impact throughout the national security community.

it is not only because of her time as secretary of defense is an important position, but also because she is a co-founder of the center for new american security, and you cannot walk for long as the pentagon and not something to somebody from that organization. i would like to single out somebody else who came from there, miller, whose successor for michelle and in a position of policy undersecretary, and he, too, is somebody i depend upon every day to try to deal with everything from a tremendous number of crises we confront to the long-term strategic challenges we also have to discuss, so i am

particularly pleased with his leadership, which follows in the footsteps of michelle and his acumen and wisdom and all the qualities i appreciate. i spent a lot of time in washington, and you need a lot of people, but it is the people who have a conscience and work hard at their jobs who are the most respected people you can work with. as we enter a second term for president obama, jim and so many other alumni will continue to play a critical role in helping guide the of ministration cost defense and foreign policy. with the election behind us, washington is turning its attention to the unfinished business, particularly the unfinished business of the current congress, including how

to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff, how to prevent it from happening, and the impact not as on the fence of the discretionary budget as well, and for our purposes, hopefully they will also take the time to pass a defense authorization in order to be able to set some important policy guidance we need as we go into this next year. the hope is these issues can be resolved before congress adjourns, and we are all hopeful the leadership will be able to come together to find a way to resolve these issues. these are tough decisions. i know how tough they are, but they can do it. it will take some risks, but

that is part of the game. you have to take risks to do the right thing, and i hope they do that. the worst thing that can happen from my perspective is they just kick the can down their road. all that would wind up doing is continuing to present a shadow as to what ultimately will happen, and that is the last thing i need. the fact is when it comes to national security, which challenges and opportunities we face in the future go beyond the political gridlock of the moment. they are significant as we look to not just today but tomorrow. in many ways i say this to the troops, to the groups i speak to, but i believe this is an era of historic change. we are at a turning point after

10 years of war. we ended the war in iraq. nieto conducted a successful campaign to bring down gaddafi in libya. we are now embarked in what i think he is a good campaign plan to allow us to draw down in afghanistan, and we have a continuing effort against al qaeda, and as we achieve some of those important goals, the united states is moving towards

the end of the longest sustained armed conflict in the nation's history, and i would also like to take a moment to express my pride in the men and women in uniform who have fought throughout that period, putting their lives on line to protect this country. were it not for their sacrifices, were in not for their willingness to do that, we would not be able to accomplish what we have. thank god they are there. [applause] one thing i found out when i came from the cia to the

defense department, i have a lot of great joy is. i have got great weapons, a great ships, great plains, great technologies, but none of that would be worth anything without the good men and women in uniform that serve this country and did it take their lives to protecting this country. that is the real strength of the united states of america. as we transition into this new era, we will have to look at important priorities that will take on a greater urgency, particularly as we looked at the second term of this administration and look at what are the challenges we are going to be confronting. this is not like the past where

we come out of the war and the rest might have diminished -- threats might have diminished. then everyone winds of cutting the defense budget. this is a period where even as we come out of the 10 years of war, we are confronting major issues, major threats in the world. we still are involved in a war on terrorism. we are still at war in afghanistan and as we try to draw down in that war. we are in the process of trying to implement the department's defense strategy at the same time we are trying to meet fiscal responsibilities. we are in a period where the budget situation in this country, a huge deficit we are facing, the debt confronting this country are limited

resources and will continue to limit the resources. i did not believe we worked on budgets and the defense department. i do not believe we have to choose between national security and fiscal security. we are at the pentagon is implementing a strategy that we put together in order to deal with the fiscal challenge we are presented. congress handed us $487 billion to reduce the deficit -- the defense budgets over 10 years.

my approach was to say, wait a minute. we are not just going to cut across the board. we are not just going to hollow out the force as we have done in the past. every time we have come out of the war, whether it was korea, vietnam, the cold war, we cut the budget across the board, and we hollowed out the force. we are not going to repeat that mistake, so for that reason, i said to my service chiefs, chairman of the joint chiefs, we have got to sit down and develop a strategy for the future that will provide the defense force for the 21st century, not just now but in the future, and then we will build

our budget around that strategy, so one, we know we are going to be smaller. that is the reality of having at of these wars, but we have to be agile. we have to be flexible, and we have to be on the cutting edge of technology. we are going to have to have force projection in the areas with the biggest problems in the pacific and the middle east. we have to have a presence elsewhere in the world, and to the credit of our military, to design of presence that will allow us to go into countries to be there to help train, to have a presence to work with those countries to develop their capabilities, and it is something i have discussed going into latin america. it is something i have discussed going into the

pacific, the asia-pacific region, and the fact is we are doing that in no way countries respond -- in a way countries respond. they'd like that we are there helping provide capabilities for their own security. in addition, we have to make sure we are capable of defeating more than one enemy at a time and have the capability to do that. lastly, this cannot just be about cutting. it has got to be about investing, investing in space, investing in unman systems, investing in the kind of capability to mobilize quickly. those are important investments for the future and most importantly, maintaining our defense industrial base in this country so we are not in a position where i am forced to contract out the most important

defense capabilities i need. i cannot do that. i cannot just contract to another country. i have got to have that capability when the united states, so those are elements of the strategy. we built a budget that looked at every area of the defense budget to analyze what do we do with structure, what do we do with procurement? what do we do with regards to compensation? what do we do in trying to develop the kind of efficiencies we need to develop at the defense department? all of that was part of our budget. all of that we presented to congress. we have to continue to work on that. we have the problem of counter proliferation, of dealing with the nuclear threat in north. , dealing with the nuclear threat in iran.

those remain unstable and uncertain, regimes we have to deal with. we are dealing with cyber security, and this is an area that represents the battlefield of the future. we are going to have to be ready to deal with it. we are going to have to be ready to deal with the private sector and other government agencies to make sure we are ready to deal with that. now the challenge of energy security, and that is particularly true for the defense department. the ability of trying to improve our efficiency in moving from one area to another, you have got to be energy of fission, not to mention energy security with regards to larger security issues. we have got to implement this rebalance to the pacific, something i talked about on the trip i just took to the pacific.

this is my fourth trip to the pacific to make clear we are going to continue to have a strong force projection in the pacific. it is important to our economic security and our national security to be able to do that in the future. in an edition, at the same time i have got a force deployed in trying to rebalance the pacific, i have got a significant presence in the middle east to deal with the threats in the middle east. i have a significant presence to deal with any potential threat we have to deal with in that region as well, and at the same time, with all of those challenges, we have to be able to take care

of our service members and our veterans and military families. the sacrifices they've made, they deserve that we stand by the commitments we have made to them. and particularly in light of the force structure reductions, which are going to take place, we've got to make sure that we provide them the support system so they can return to their communities and to their families and be able to re- establish their lives. all of that is out there and all of that are issues that we have to think about and we have to be prepared in order to protect the national security of this country. we have to be prepared to deal with. but tonight, i wanted to focus on the goal that still remains at the top of the priority list, as it must. goal that the president made very clear, that we have a responsibility to disrupt,

degrade, dismantle and ultimately defeat those who attacked america on 9/11. al qaeda. since september 11, 2001, our country has worked relentlessly to bring those responsible for the worst terrorist attacks in our history to justice. we have made very clear that we are at war with al qaeda. we've also made clear in going after osama bin laden and dozens of others that nobody attacks the united states and gets away with it. and we have made clear that we will do everything possible to ensure that such an attack never, never happens again. that means counterterrorism will continue as a key mission to our military and intelligence

professionals. as long as violent extremists pose a direct threat to the united states, our allies and global interests, we have a responsibility to counter that threat. during my tenure as director of the c.i.a. and secretary of defense, i have truly been privileged to meet and work with thousands of professionals who have made this fight their who have put their lives on the country and who have built the most effective global counter terrorism network the world has ever seen. their work, i believe, has made

the american people safer, the united states more secure and has put al qaeda on the defensive. let me describe some of the progress that has been achieved in this fight against al qaeda. first of all, with respect to core al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan and that's where the leadership of al qaeda after 9/11 found refuge. our military forces, our intelligence professionals, our diplomats, our development experts, have taken the fight to al qaeda's leadership, first through dramatically expanded counter terrorism operations on the afghanistan-pakistan border, and second, through a renewed, revitalized and properly resourced effort to help build an afghanistan that can secure and govern itself and that's the

fundamental mission in afghanistan, is to ensure that that country can govern and secure itself so it will never again become a safe haven for al qaeda. over the last few years, al qaeda's leaderships, their ranks have been decimated, and includes the loss of four of al qaeda's five top leaders in the last two and a half years alone -- osama bin laden, sheik saed al-masri, abdul alrahman and abdullah al-libi. through what has probably been the most precise campaign in the history of warfare and by partnering with local allies, numerous other experienced operational terrorists and commanders in this region have been killed or captured.

this pressure has significantly demoralized and weakened al qaeda in terms of their core capabilities and it's seriously disrupted their active plotting against our homeland. the broader military campaign in afghanistan has also been central to our efforts to disrupt and dismantle and defeat al qaeda. that is why roughly 68,000 american troops remain in afghanistan today supporting the isap mission and our afghan partners. are battling a violent insurgency that seeks to topple the afghan government. they have not given up on that effort and they seek to be able to return to afghanistan in order to provide sanctuary for

extremists. if we are to defeat al qaeda, that cannot happen, and make no mistake, we remain determined to prevent al qaeda from ever again launching a terrorist attack on america from safe havens inside afghanistan. over the past two years since the 33,000 search troops were ordered by president obama and arrived in afghanistan, we have to put pressure on the taliban-led insurgency and dealt them a heavy blow and made real progress and i believe building an afghanistan that can, in fact, secure and defend itself against that threat. earlier this month, isaf conducted an in-depth assessment of the insurgency following the end of the fighting season and

the conclusion of the surge. by nearly every indication, the insurgency has been significantly weakened. violence levels, which increased for five years, decreased in 2011 and 2012. the insurgency has been pushed out of population centers in strategic areas. security dramatically imflovd year in most of afghanistan's largest municipality, with attacks dropping 22% in kabul and 62% in kandahar. isaf coalition cacials have -- casualties have also reduced, declining 30% this year. these signs of progress are real and so are the challenges that remain. this is an insurgency that is

resilient and they will do everything they can to project an appearance of strength to afghans and to the international community. the taliban claims responsibility for the troubling rise in insider attacks. they have launched high-profile attacks and assassinations and will continue to do that but in the face of these tactics, we have been able to maintain strong international unittity and a strong commitment to finish the job. as the insurgency has been rolled back, we have vastly improved the capabilities of the afghan national security forces to maintain these gains after most of the international forces will have departed. every day, every week, every month afghan forces are

shouldering more and more of the burden. 2011 -- and i mention this time and time again -- i believe marked an important turning point in the war effort, because we were able to see afghan forces become operational and take charge of security. in 2012, that process of transition took firm hold across the country. the transition is now well underway. we have transitioned an area that involves 75% of the afghan population and that population is increasingly secure. as a result, we are on track for two key milestones. one is that the afghans will be in the lead throughout the country for security in mid 2013 and afghans will ultimately take full responsibility for security

by the end of 2014. after 2014, the united states has made clear, through a strategic partnership agreement, that we will maintain an enduring presence and long-term commitment to afghan security and nato made a similar to a post-2014 afghanistan at the chicago summit last may. all of this sends a simple and powerful message to al qaeda, to the taliban and to the violent extremist groups who want to regain a safe haven in afghanistan -- we are not going anywhere. our commitment to afghanistan is long term and you cannot wait us out. this is important because al qaeda, the taliban, and other associated forces, under pressure in pakistan, continue

to view the rugged terrain of northeastern afghanistan, especially can kunar and nurastn provinces as a viable safe haven. counter terrorism efforts conducted by special forces this year made clear we will not allow them to regain that sanctuary. as a result of prolonged military and intelligence operations, al qaeda has been significantly weakened in afghanistan and pakistan, its most effective leaders are gone, its command and control have been degraded and its safe haven has been shrinking. al qaeda's ability to carry out a large scale attack on the united states has been seriously impacted and as a result, america is safer from a 9/11

type attack. these gains are real but it is important to point out that even with these gains the threat from al qaeda has not been eliminated. we have slowed the primary cancer, but we know that the cancer has also metastasized to other parts of the global body. two examples of that spreading al qaeda presence are yemen and somalia. for years, our eyes have been wide open to the growing capabilities of yemen based al qaeda in the arabian peninsula which has also targeted our homeland for attack and sowed violence and chaos in yemen itself. we have struck back in an effort

to disrupt and dismantle this group through a very close partnership with the government of yemen. by training local security forces we are building and training a counter terrorism force poised to be the most effective over the long term and that force is the yemenis themselves. by participating in joint efforts against key leaders and key operatives, we have put unprecedented pressure on aqat and given the yemeni people an opportunity to free themselves from the grip of these terrorists. aqap leaders who have targeted the united states have met their demise. plots have been disrupted and innocent lives have been saved. but this fight has not been easy, as yemen's government

became destabilized last year, aqap attempted to seize the initiative, taking control of several key cities in the south of yemen. in the months since, aqap's advances have been largely reversed through a renewed and each more effective partnership with yemen's new government led by president hadi. our work in yemen is far from done. dismantling aqap, eliminating it as a threat to the united states, will ultimately require sustained pressure, more u.s. training and assistance, close partnership with the yemeni government and yemeni people and steadfast support for political transition. another country we have made good progress in recently is somalia. for years when i became director of the c.i.a., it was thoobs

that somalia was a failed state where al-shabab controlled large pieces of territory, declared fealty to al qaeda, brought about a humanitarian crisis and planned attacks in the region but there, too, we have seen significant progress. in large part because of an effective partnership between the united states and the african union mission in somalia. the result is an al-shabab that lost 50% of the territory had held in 2010 and since losing control of mogadishu, hundreds of fighters have surrendered. these forces recently took the stronghold of kismao and a number of other strategic towns

and as a result, today, al-shabab is diminished as a threat and we continue to work every day to consolidate these gains against these terrorists. our challenge is far from over. yes, we have decimated core al qaeda and, yes, we have made notable progress against its associated forces in yemen and somalia, and, yes, we have reduced the chance of a large-scale terrorist attack against the united states, but al qaeda, the al qaeda cancer, has also adapted to this pressure by becoming even more widely distributed, loosely knit and geographically dispersed. the fight against al qaeda has taken a new direction, one that

demands that we be especially adaptable and resilient as we continue the fight. president obama has made clear, we will fight not just through military means but by harnessing every element of american power, military intelligence, diplomatic law enforcement, financial, economic, and above all, the power of our values as americans. al qaeda has long sought to operate in areas beyond the reach of effective security and governance. after being left on the sidelines of the momentous changes that swept through the arab world last year, they are now seeking to take advantage of the transition period to gain new sanctuary, to incite violence, and to sow

instability. we know that al qaeda, its affiliates and adherents are looking to establish a foothold in other countries in the middle east and north and west africa including al qaeda in the islamic nigreb and nigeria. the international community and regional partners share concern about mali where al qaeda affiliated groups have taken control of territories in the and pose an emerging threat. we are also concerned about libya where violent extremists and affiliates of al qaeda attacked and killed innocent americans in benghazi. respect to that attack, let me be clear, we will work with the libyan government to bring to justice those who perpetrated

those attacks. to protect americans at home and overseas, we need continue to pursue al qaeda wherever they, go whatever form they take and wherever they seek to hide. we must be constantly vigilant, we must be constantly determined to pursue this enemy but what will it take to achieve the end of al qaeda or at least the beginning of the end. first, it will be essential to finish the job that we started and that we must complete in afghanistan, and we are on track to do that. we and our nato partners agreed at lisbon, afghans need to be for their own security by the end of 2014. this transition is our goal and the afghans' goal, as well, but

will require continued commitment by the international community and the united states in order to help the afghan forces achieve that goal. we have come too far, we have invested too much blood and treasure not to finish the job. there are no shortcuts nor can we afford to turn away from this effort when we are so close to achieving success in preventing al qaeda to ever returning to this historic epicenter for violent extremism. second, we will need to maintain pressure on al qaeda in pakistan, on aqap in yemen and on al qaeda associated forces in somalia. that means degrading senior leadership, dismantling their organizational capabilities, remaining vigilant to ensure the threat does not reconstitute and working to build the capacity of our partners, including

pakistan, to confront these shared threats. despite challenges in the bilateral relationship between the united states and pakistan, one area in which our national interests continue to align, continue to align, is defeating the terrorists on pakistan's soil that threaten both of us. we remain committed to pursuing defense cooperation based on these shared interests. thirdly, we must prevent the emergence of new safe havens for al qaeda elsewhere in the world that could be used to attack the united states or our interests. the last decade of war has shown that coordinated efforts to share intelligence, to conduct operations with partners, are critical to making sure that al qaeda has no place to hide. we will expand these efforts,

including, through support and partnership with governments in transition in the middle east and north africa. this campaign against al qaeda will largely take place outside declared combat zones. using a small footprint approach that includes precision partnered activities with foreign special forces operations and capacity building so that partner countries can be more effective in combating terrorism on their own. wherever possible, we will work through and with local partners, supporting them with the intelligence and resources they need in order to deter these threats. for example, in mali, we are working with our partners in western africa who are committed to countering the emerging

threat to regional stability posed by aqim. fourth, in support of these kinds of efforts, we have to invest in the future. in new military and intelligence capabilities and security partnerships. our new defense strategy makes clear at that military must retain and even build new counter terrorism capabilities for the future. as we reduce the size of the military, we are going to continue to ramp up special operations forces which have doubled in size from 37,000 on 9/11 to 64,000 today. special operations forces will grow to 72,000 by 2017. we are expanding our fleet of predator and reaper u.a.v.'s over what we have today.

these enhanced capabilities will enable us to be more flexible and agile against a threat that has grown more diffuse. we will also continue to invest in building partnership capacity, including in authority to train and equip foreign military forces. our new global security contingency fund has been very helpful in placing new emphasis on cultivating regional expertise in the ranks, which brings me to the final point, that too often takes a back seat to our operations against al qaeda. what do we do, what do we do, to prevent extremist ideologies from attracting new recruits in the future? over the past decade, we have

successfully directed our military and intelligence capabilities at fighting terrorism and yet we are still struggling to develop an effective approach to address the factors that attract young men and women to extreme ideologyies and to ensure that governments and societies have the capacity and the will to counter and reject extreme -- violent extremism. to truly end the threat from al qaeda, military force aimed at killing our enemy alone will never be enough. the united states must stay involved and invested through diplomacy, through development, through education, through trade

in those regions of the world where violent extremism has flourished. that means continued engagement, continued engagement in following through on the commitments we have made in afghanistan to their long-term stability. secretary clinton has also outlined a comprehensive strategy from north and west africa combining security assistance, economic development, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing political reforms. these regions are undergoing an historic transition that offers many in the region hope for a better future but these changes, influenced by the international community, could result in greater turmoil.

the american people were outraged by the loss of ambassador chris stevens and three others in benghazi. they were emissaries of peace and friends of libya and the libyan people have turned against the violent extremists who killed them but of course we will be vigilant and we will posture our military and intelligence forces to prevent and, if necessary, respond to threats of violence against our interests throughout the middle east and north africa, including threats against our embassies and consulates and our diplomats themselves but to truly protect america we must sustain and in some areas deepen our engagement in the world. our military intelligence,

diplomatic and development efforts are key to doing that. after all, we are confront a number of challenges in the middle east and north africa. at submit point we must find ways to peacefully resolve the war in syria, the conflict between israel and the palestinians, and the destabilizing threat from iran and every time and overtime we also must address the religious, economic and cultural differences that create tension and that are exploited by extremists. still, as our country emerges from a decade of large-scale conflict and confronts new fiscal constraints at home, i, frankly, worry that our political system will prevent us from making the investments in

diplomacy and development that we need to ensure we protect america's interests in these volatile regions of the world. these investments unfortunately lack a constituency in the congress at a time of great fiscal pressure. indeed, we face the process of budget sequestration that would be devastating to national security, not just because what have it does to our national defense, but also for what it does to these programs that support diplomacy and enhance our quality of life. our men and women in uniform know too well what sacrifice is all about for the sake of our nation. for more than a decade after we were attacked on september 11,

they have fought and bled on distant battle fields and they have made our country safer. if we turn away from these critical regions of the world, we risk undoing the significant gains they have fought for. that would make all of us less safe in the long term. this is not a time for retrench ment, this is not a time for isolation. it is a time for renewed partnership in the world. after iraq and afghanistan, we are entering, as i said, a new and different era with a multitude of different threats and challenges. united states military must prepare for these challenges and we will. but america must continue to lead this fight against al qaeda. our partners demand it.

threat demands it and our fellow citizens demand it. on september 11, 2001, the united states was thrust into a war that we did not ask for nor did we seek. over 11 years later we have fought back with a vengeance to make clear we will do whatever we must to make sure 9/11 never happens again. we have made america safer but we must not rest until we have made america safe today and tomorrow. thank you very much. [applause]

>> secretary piniella has graciously agreed to take a few questions from the audience. when i call on you tell us your name and affiliation and remember to ask a question. or confession. right here first. >> hi, my name is christy kalkman, i'm the director of a nonprofit, dedicated to bridge the military divide. more importantly for this discussion i'm an 11-year army wife. we talked a lot about the mental health challenges that are facing our troops and their families. you know the numbers as well as i do. we're losing a service member

every 24 hours, 18 veterans a day and pirmly know three army wives that killed themselves and we're not having that is conversation. i think it's up to you because i do believe this is a national security issue, not just a moral obligation. we have never spent this much money or created this many programs or ever had this unprecedented effort to try to step the tide of suicides and some of the mental health challenges that we're facing. i wanted to ask you about a different strategic approach to the problem. i feel like we need someone with a direct line of report to you, secretary of defense, at the '10 level that this is other only job. general carelli did a terrific job but he was vice general chief of staff of the army. there are precedents for this. dodd starbird during the vietnam war. i'm sorry. >> if we can get your question.

>> the point is i feel like we have a lot of efforts going on that are not connected and if we had a leadership connected just to this, it could probably make a huge difference in our lives. thanks. >> thank you very much. for that question. i mean. you know, the defense department is a big bureaucracy. i have got 3 million people and, you know, they're very dedicated people. they're very dedicated professionals. oftentimes the ability to focus on a problem and be able to deal with it suddenly requires that they have got to change direction. suddenly understand that they're dealing with something that's serious and a trip and that's the way i feel about, you know,

the mental health problems that are impacting on our forces. but part of this is the impact of over ten years of work. and stress that's involved in deployment after deployment after deployment. part of it reflects the stress and society generally. and many way when's you look at our -- ways when you look at our suicide rate, the fact is that, you know, if you look at the general society, there's an increase in suicide rates as well. part of it due to family stress. part of it due to drinking. part of it due to drugs. part of it due to financial stress. there are a whole series of issues that play a role in creating this kind of pressure. and, look, the fact is that when it comes to mental health, i wish there were a simple silver

bullet that could deal with that problem. but it is complex. and there are a number of factors that are at play. but that mean that's we have to devote every resource we can to try to deal with that. and i think it is important for us to be able to increase the amount of mental health professionals that deal with this problem, that can provide counseling, that can provide guidance, that can understand what needs to be done. we also, frankly, need to increase peer awareness of what is going on so they can spot the problems and be able to deal with it. i mean, one of the things i found is that we have got to -- we have got to be able to have those who are at the platoon level, at the squad level, leaders who are looking at their, you know, the people that

they're responsible for, looking into their eyes, seeing the potential problems and getting ahead of it and being able to respond. and obviously all of this will require additional resources as well in order to respond. i do believe -- mine, i appreciate what you're saying. i do believe that to create a focus on a problem like this does require that we do everything possible to make sure that -- that it is -- it's not an issue we talk about today and forget tomorrow. so one of the things that i've done with the chairman of the joint chiefs and all of the service chiefs, i said you have got to continue to stress this issue and we've got to continue to look at it. and what i have done with my undersecretary responsible for this area is to say, i want regular reports on what's going on with regards to this area. i want to know what's happening. i want to know what we're doing to confront it.

frankly, the person who's responsible is me. and i've just got to kick-ass and make sure something is done about it, and i will. but i also have to make sure that everyone else is responsible, that the service chiefs for each of the services are doing exactly the same thing. [applause] >> yes, right here. >> mr. secretary, thank you for -- >> tell us who you are, please. >> tom goldberg with linage technology. i'm actually residing next door. but in any case, thank you for all of those tough nuts that you have had to crack and all of the hard work you put into solving so many of the problems we faced. in 1998 working over in the n.s.c. we dealt with y2k and discovered we had to outsource a

tremendous amount of our solution sets. that brought us backdoors and other things we harvested as a result of those exercises. you have come out with an instruction that was actually initiated by miss due kai and under secretary kendall to weeks ago yesterday, which we very much applaud having to do with supply chain integrity. what links these two events together in my mind is this -- in 1998 and 1999 we lack the resources in the united states to solve the y2k problem. today we have divergent policy directives not intentionally so but that deal with the matter of either reducing the cost of services that the department of been asked to buy through the efficiency memo, essentially

juxtaposed to the need for this expertise -- ok. >> i think we have the idea if you can get to the question. >> i'm sorry. the question is can you marry the efficiency memo nun instruction on supply chain so we don't lose the talent that resides now in the department, much of which is older men and women who will leave and we will lose their capabilities. >> thank you for that. yes, i mean, i think we've got to continue to emphasize this area because we are, as you say, look, expertise in this area is, you know, is something that is not easy to come by. and you've got to build it and you've got to build people who know the systems and have to understand what's involved with it. and, you know, it's something

that just generally in government service we build tremendous expertise only to have it move on and then we have to re-create it all over again. and that's a terrible mistake. what you have to do is build expertise and continue to hopefully inspire people so they continue at it. this is an area, look, the whole area of dealing with computers, of dealing with the threat that we faced as we turned the century but also just dealing generally with the whole cyber world that we're now involved with, this is an area that demands tremendous expertise and tremendous capability. fortunately at n.s.a. we have some tremendous experience of the we've got good people that are involved in it. but very frankly, if we're going to stay on the cutting edge of

what's happening with regards to the changes that are occurring, we have got to invest more. i've got to have the very best and keith alexander is a bright guy. he's capable person. but i've got to make sure that behind him are young people who understand what the hell this is all about and can guide us in order to ensure that we protect this country in the future. this is a complicated area. it's not easy. and, thankfully, what's most disturbing of all is that every time i try to get help from the congress, they kind of walk away from this issue. they just refused to pass in the congress legislation that would assist us in dealing with the whole cyber arena. i have got to have -- i have got to be able to have the private sector working with us when it comes to these issues, to develop that kind of partnership. and unfortunately, i can't have the private sector help us

provide information on what's happening out there unless i protect them from lawsuits and protect them from litigation. that's the whole point of trying to develop this legislation. and i can't for the life of me understand why it's so damn hard for congress to do the right thing on this issue. >> for the last two two questions we're going to have a competition on who can frame the question most concisely. tony, you're the first contestant. >> you talked a little bit about pakistan. when the pakistan strategy was first rolled out in 2009, it was called af-pac. there were a lot of concerns from lawmakers the united states was hinging too much of its afghan strategy on pakistan. realistically, what chance will the u.s. strategy have to succeed in 2014 if more is not -- if the safe havens are dealt

with more strideantly than they have been to date? >> look, in many ways the success in afghanistan is dependent on having a pakistan that is willing to confront terrorism on their side of the border and prevent safe havens. look, i think that that right now the ability to develop the security force in afghanistan that is able to provide the security that can establish operational capability to confront threats on the afghan side of the border is extremely important to the future. we need to have, we're building this 352,000 n.s.f. force. that is extremely important to our ability to make the transition and to have an

afghanistan that can in fact provide security. and that's going to be an important key. but to be able to succeed in afghanistan is also going to require -- i mean, the threats i see that we've got to worry about in the future are the following. number one -- we have to have an afghanistan that can govern itself. that can move away from corruption. that can in fact have the cape ability to provide the kind of governance that you need in order to be able to truly secure that country and govern that country for the future. that's therein area that i think demands a lot more attention for the future. the other is pakistan. because of the safe havens in pakistan and the ability of terrorist groups to move across that border and to attack in afghanistan ling challenge that

represents. obviously we can take them across the border. we have been going after them operationally when we have been doing that. but the problem is when they move back and escape into a safe haven, it makes it very difficult to complete the job. so in order to really have a secure afghanistan, ultimately pakistan is going to have to take responsibility for taking on these terrorists and eliminating safe havens. >> last question right here. yes. >> don lauren, secretary of defense for homeland security, sir, thank you for joining us. what can and will you do in the next administration to break the logjam and get the convention for the law of the sea ratified?

>> this may require tanks and bombers. this is really one of the -- i have to tell you one of the most disturbing things that, you know, i talk about one of the national security threats is the question of whether or not the leaders we elect can in fact govern and can in fact deal with the challenges that face this country . when i go abroad, i just came back from asia and i was meeting with the os ian defense ministers. one of the defense ministers said it's great you're rebalancing in the pacific but can you sustain that when you have a congress that is prepared to sequester a walk off a fiscal

cliff? and i said you know, that -- that issue of whether our democracy can truly function and have leaders that are prepared to make the decision that have to be made in order for this country to govern itself is, i think, you know, the issue that will determine ultimately whether we have national security. it's the same way with the law of the seas. i go to the asia pacific region. they're having materialtorial disputes over, you know, these rocks out there. obviously, it's about the resources that are offshore those rocks. but they're having these disputes over these areas. one of the arguments i make is wait a minute, we have to maintain freedom of the seas. we have to maintain navigation rights. some of these countries look at me and say, you know, what are you talking about?

you haven't even approved the law of the seas treaty. how can you tell us what to do here? and they're right. they're right. we are the only industrialized country that has not approved that treaty. the only industrialized country that has not approved that treaty. in order for us to have credibility to argue with freedom of navigation, maritime rights, that's essential. in order for us to deal with the challenges that we're facing as a result of global warming in the arctic and poem of northwest passage and poem for resources out there, there are country making claims and we can't engage with those countries because we haven't approved the law of the seas treaty. it's an outrage that we have not done that. i think there are good members in the senate who agreed with everything i have just said but they're constantly running into a wall because for some

ideological reason, few members up there, this has become an issue they're going to fight and they're going to stop as best they can. and if this country is going to provide leadership in the 21st century, if we're to do when we have to do in trying to guide countries so that they in fact are able to protect their interests and be able to engage in the kind of commerce and economic development that is important for the future, if we're going to be a part of that , then we have to be credible. and that means we need to pass the law of the seas treaty. i hope that ultimately happen. coming out of this election, my prayer coming out of this election is that leaders on both sides recognize that the one

message the people sent is for the leaders to do its job and govern this country. that's the message they need to understand. thank you. [applause] >> mr. secretary, thank you very much for being so generous with your time tonight. thank you for jury san francisco insights, -- your strategic insights and candor and for your service. and thanks to all of you coming out the week of thanksgiving. i hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving, and thank you very much to n.a.s. for hosting us all here tonight. good evening.

>> both chambers of congress return to session this wiege. the house gavels in on tuesday and later in the week, members are expected to take up legislation that would expedite the process for granting legal status to immigrant students who earned advance degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. off the floor on thursday, house democrats are expected to elect leaders for the 113th congress. follow the house live here on c-span. the senate reconvened tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. with a couple votes scheduled at 5:30 p.m. live senate coverage on c-span2. on friday, first lady michelle obama was on hand for the arrival of the official white house christmas tree. it was brought in on a horse-drawn carriage. daughters sasha and malia were also there. this year's tree a 19-foot

frazier fir selected in early october and harvested this month at peeks farm in jefferson, north carolina. it will be displayed throughout the holiday season in the blue room.

>> tell us about the tree. >> it looks good. >> it smells really nice. >> the smell, yes.

>> you like the point. >> yeah. >> you look for a good point. >> it's a very good point. >> ok. i think we'll take it. you agree? >> i agree. >> it's a go. it's good. we can have christmas now. >> looks good. >> thank you so much. >> thank you.

>> if we turn away from the needs of others, we align ourselves with those forces which are bringing about this suffering.

>> what is a bully pulpit and you ought to take advantage of it. >> obesity in this country is nothing short of a public health crisis. >> i just had little antennas that went up and told me when somebody had their own agenda. >> so much influence in that office. it would be just a shame to waste it. >> i think they serve as a window on the path to what was going on with american women. >> she becomes the chief confidante. she's really one of the only they could trust. >> many of the women who were first ladies, a lot were writers, journalists. wrote books. >> they are in many cases quite frankly more interested as human beings then their husband, if only because they are not first foreign most defined and consequently limited edition. >> dolly was both socially adept and politically savvy.

>> dolly loved every minute of it. mrs. monroe hated it. absolutely hated it. >> she warned her husband, you cannot rule without including what women want and what women have to contribute. >> during the statement, you were a little breathless and there was too much looking down and i think it was a little too fast. change of pace. >> yes, ma'am. >> probably the most tragic of all of our first ladies. they never should judge a marriage. >> she later wrote in her memoir, "i myself never made any decisions. i only decided what was important and when to present it to my husband." now, you stop and think about how much power that is, it's a lot of power. >> part of the battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease.

>> she transformed the way we look at these bugaboos and made it possible for countless people to survive and to flourish as a result. don't know how many presidents realistically have that kind of impact on the way we live our lives. >> just walking around the white house grounds, i am constantly reminded about all of the people who have lived there before and particularly all of the women. >> first ladies, influence and image, a new series on c-span produced in cooperation with the white house historical association. coming in february 2013. >> next, "q&a" with author ted widmer with the white house recordings of john f. kennedy. and after that british prime

minister david cameron takes questions from the house of commons and then a discussion on the 2012 presidential campaign with obama campaign manager jim messina. monday the american enterprise institute hosts a discussion on how federal rules and regulations impact the role of private enterprise in public education with representatives from the bill and melinda gates foundation and education department. live at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> you can listen to mayor bloomberg, who said that the damage was unprecedented that.s0 it may be the worse storm that the city has ever faced and title surge previous high was 10 feet for this storm, it was 14. governor cristty said the damage in new jersey was unthinkable. i mean, we had fires. we had hurricane-force winds. we had massive flooding. we had speed of snow. if you look at that and look at the flooding to the subway systems and shutdown of the

stock exchanges, you start to get a sense of the massive scale and scope of this storm. and yet the networks performed. i mean, i have read dozens of stories over the last couple of weeks about how for many consumers, their only link to information, their only tie to any sort of information or to people was through their smartphone, linking social media and their smartphone. so while there was obviously and impact on cell sites, i think the networks performed really pretty well. >> my assessment here is some networks did well. some networks did less well. but we don't really have solid information about this because there are no reporting requirements on these networks. there are no standards by which we measure their performance. and it's entirely voluntary whether they want to talk to the f.c.c. or not or talk to their state and local governments or not. i take their word for it that they responded well. i also have anecdotally heard some of these guys madi